Clear-cutting in the Berlin cultural scene: Audience research on the verge of extinction

Oh, what golden times those were when Klaus Lederer was still Senator for Culture. The left-wing politician not only had enough money to let the big institutions make art in peace, he was also able to realize his own heartfelt projects. Like the free museum Sunday.

He hopes that if the exhibitions are free once a month, people who would otherwise show inhibitions about so-called high culture will also stop by. The fact that this “culture for all” campaign is being abolished as part of the current blind austerity measures is completely counterproductive.

How do you reach non-visitors?

However, it is fitting that the facility that Klaus Lederer installed to scientifically support his efforts in low-threshold matters should also be phased out. A main task of the Institute for Cultural Participation Research (IKTf) is to find out why people avoid the theaters, concert halls and museums in this city. It can’t be the admission prices, because nowhere else can you experience fantastic culture as cheaply as in Berlin – provided you’re prepared to look for the discount options that apply to you in the small print.

Non-visitor research is a laborious task. Because it is very difficult to reach people who stay away from the enjoyment of art. The highly motivated IKTf team around Vera Allmanritter has been trying to do exactly that since 2019. With patience and perseverance. Only after many complex surveys can socio-demographic development lines be identified, from which concrete recommendations for practice can then emerge. Also because of the distortion of the numbers caused by the pandemic.

The institute was close to being able to provide this data. In a previously unimagined, differentiated way, broken down according to a newly developed model that is broken down according to different lifestyles. If the IKTf is completed now, all the work will have been in vain. And all of the funds spent so far would have to be recorded as a bad investment. All that was left behind were unemployed, frustrated researchers.